This update (published by World Institute of Natural Health Sciences) discusses an effort by the Alliance for Natural Health International to protect our access to natural medicine, supplements, and vitamins.
The Alliance for Natural Health International (ANH-Intl) have issued and implemented their strategy to salvage a wide range of traditional and herbal products that are also included in the EU Food Supplement Directive's natural health products banning efforts.
In a statement issued by ANH-Intl., the public interest group notes that two of the largest eastern traditions - traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the traditions of Ayurvedic (alternative) medicine and Unani (herbal healing) from the Indian subcontinent - could be banned throughout the EU (and the UK) as early as the middle of next year.
See the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive for more details:
http://www.winhs.org/downloads/TraditionalHerbalMedicinalProductsDirecti...
The ANH-Intl strategy aims to deal with the ruthless and unwarranted regulatory situation facing thousands of products representing non-European herb-based healthcare traditions. It will also help to keep on the market numerous products associated with minor European herbal traditions that are struggling to cope with the raft of EU laws affecting them.
In April 2011, when the EU Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD) is fully implemented thousands of products distributed by specialist herbal suppliers will become increasingly difficult or totally illegal to sell.
Medicine regulators and vested interests in a number of the EU Member States appear to be using the directive as a means of putting to an end much of the freedoms enjoyed by the natural health industry utilizing the food supplements category under which most of these products have been successfully sold - up to now. The seven (7) year delay in outright implementation of the directive was supposed to have provided manufacturers, distributors and practitioners with the time needed to successfully register their existing products under the newly created medicinal licensing scheme offered.
Even herbs and thousand year traditional medicines are now being legally classified as medicines, drugs, etc by the EU Food Supplements Directives. Who has everything to gain here? The drug companies? (Yes!)
However, a wide range of eligibility and technical problems, along with exorbitant costs have prevented any products from either the Chinese or Indian traditions from successfully being registered under the scheme. Coincidence? We think not!
The core strategy of the pharmaceutical companies supported anti-vitamin, anti-herb and anti-traditional medicine legislative campaign has been fully detailed in numerous WINHS reports and a new a 10-page position paper authored by the heads of the ANH- Intl and Benefyt organisations, namely Dr Robert Verkerk (ANH-Intl) and Chris Dhaenens (Benefyt).
The joint ANH/Benefyt position paper can be downloaded from the following link:
http://www.anh-europe.org/files/100831-ANH-Benefyt-THMPD-position-paper....
ANH-Intl and Benefyt are calling on interested parties to contact either of the organisations for further information. They have stressed that adequate financial support will be crucial to the effective implementation of the joint strategy and have warned that inaction will result in the loss of thousands of products with consequent impacts both on public health and the small businesses in the sector.
We are asking that our European and British members step up to the table and assist our efforts in support of this strategy.
